Transforming Industrial Gas Companies into AI-Driven Ecosystems
Introduction
Industrial gas leaders are rapidly reinventing themselves from traditional gas-and-service providers into data-centric, AI-driven ecosystems. Companies like Air Liquide, Linde (including Praxair), Air Products & Chemicals, and Messer are deploying ambitious digital transformation programs to achieve this within a short span (often around two years). These initiatives leverage artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, digital twins, and advanced analytics to optimize operations and deliver new value-added services. They are also fostering internal innovation cultures and forging partnerships with tech firms and startups to accelerate this transformation. Below, we detail how each of these industry leaders is executing breakthrough strategies – from AI integration in operations and predictive maintenance to AI-powered customer platforms – and highlight concrete programs, partnerships, and cultural initiatives. A comparison table at the end summarizes the key strategic moves by each company.
Air Liquide: Digital Transformation to an AI Ecosystem
Case Summary: Air Liquide has launched enterprise-wide digital programs to embed AI and connectivity across its supply chain, operations, and customer offerings, underpinned by a strong innovation culture.
- AI in Operations & Predictive Maintenance: Air Liquide’s Smart & Innovative Operations (SIO) program created remote operations centers (like the Connect project in France) that use big data and AI algorithms to optimize production and maintenance. For example, its remote operations hub near Lyon can adjust production across 22 plants in real-time to match demand and uses 15 years of data to predict equipment failures before they happenkr.airliquide.comkr.airliquide.com. Algorithms developed in-house fine-tune plant settings to save energy and improve reliability, enabling predictive maintenance that identifies “weak signals” of malfunctions in advancekr.airliquide.comkr.airliquide.com. These AI-driven centers function like control towers, remotely starting/stopping units and continuously analyzing live data to anticipate customer needs and prevent downtime.
- IoT, Digital Twins & Real-Time Analytics: Air Liquide has digitally connected its assets – from production units and trucks to customer storage tanks – to create an end-to-end digital twin of its supply network. Through its Integrated Bulk Operations (IBO) program (deployed globally in 2020), the company collects 3.5 billion data points daily from 500+ plants, ~20 million cylinders, and 9,900 trucksairliquide.com. This IoT data is analyzed with AI to forecast customer consumption, optimize sourcing and delivery routes, and even automate ordering. In IBO, predictive analysis of customer tank levels and usage patterns triggers replenishment and dynamic route planning, cutting transport costs and carbon footprintbusinesswire.combusinesswire.com. By 2020 Air Liquide rolled out IBO worldwide after successful pilots, revolutionizing its bulk gas supply chain with digital techbusinesswire.com. The result is a more agile, data-driven supply system that improved service reliability and efficiency (e.g. trucks are dispatched proactively and in optimal sequence).
- AI-Driven Customer Platforms & Demand Forecasting: Air Liquide is also using digital solutions to enhance customer experience and unlock new services. A prime example is Qlixbi, an integrated offering for welding gases that combines a smart gas cylinder with connected digital servicesairliquide.com. Launched in 2019, Qlixbi was co-designed with 700 welders to include IoT connectivity – users get a “fab assist” app and online platform to monitor gas levels in real time and automate re-ordering when supply runs lowairliquide.comairliquide.com. This IoT-enabled product (see the Qlixbi illustration below) uses data to ensure continuous supply and provides analytics to improve welders’ productivity and safety. It reflects Air Liquide’s push toward AI-enabled customer solutions that go beyond just selling gas. In healthcare, Air Liquide employs AI for value-based care: for instance, an algorithm monitors data from connected CPAP devices to predict which sleep apnea patients are at risk of abandoning therapy, so that staff can intervene with personalized supportairliquide.comairliquide.com. In 2023, over 22,000 patients benefited from these AI-powered tools, and the next step is predictive alerts to further improve adherenceairliquide.com.
. This AI- and IoT-enabled solution exemplifies the company’s new customer-centric offerings built on data.
- Internal Innovation Labs & Hubs: To drive these innovations, Air Liquide established dedicated transformation teams. The company launched “i-Lab” as early as 2013 – an internal lab for new ideas – to accelerate innovation and explore new marketskr.airliquide.com. In 2016 it also created Digital Fabs, which are cross-functional digital acceleration units focused on specific business linesairliquide.com. Each Digital Fab brings together operational experts with data scientists, developers, and UX designers to co-develop digital solutions, ensuring that new tech addresses real user needsairliquide.com. This collaborative approach (essentially an in-house digital incubator) has helped Air Liquide roll out projects like the remote operations centers and Qlixbi faster. It also nurtures a digital culture by breaking silos – plant operators, IT experts, and business teams work side-by-side on prototypes and analytics projects. By 2024, Air Liquide reported having 500+ projects that leveraged data and AI across the companyairliquide.comairliquide.com.
- Partnerships with Tech Firms and Startups: Air Liquide pursues “open innovation” by partnering externally where it accelerates progress. The Connect remote operations project was recognized as an Industry 4.0 showcase and involved collaboration with the French tech startup ecosystem via the i-Labkr.airliquide.com. Air Liquide’s venture arm invests in startups, and the company co-develops solutions with partners – for example, its U.S. subsidiary Airgas co-created the BotX Welder (an AI-driven collaborative robotic welding system) in partnership with two startups (Hirebotics and Universal Robots)airliquide.com. Air Liquide also uses platforms from technology providers; one notable partnership is with Microsoft for enterprise-wide adoption of cloud AI and analytics services (enabling the massive data processing in programs like IBO). Such alliances help Air Liquide incorporate cutting-edge AI/IoT tech quickly into its operations and customer offerings.
- Talent Development & Cultural Change: A people-centric approach underpins Air Liquide’s digital transformation. Management emphasizes that digitization “doesn’t just mean implementing technology – it’s about putting people first”airliquide.com. To that end, Air Liquide invested heavily in upskilling employees and fostering a digital mindset. It rolled out a single digital workplace platform globally to streamline collaboration, and ran extensive training on new tools (e.g. equipping field operators with tablets, and training them to use data insights in daily decisions)kr.airliquide.comkr.airliquide.com. During projects like SIO and Qlixbi, operators and end-users were involved from the design phase, helping increase adoption and ease the cultural shiftairliquide.comairliquide.com. Air Liquide’s focus on change management – for instance, creating new roles such as “real-time pilot” for the remote ops centerkr.airliquide.com – ensured that the workforce was prepared and motivated to work in new digitally enabled ways. The company also encourages internal knowledge sharing; by 2020 it had engaged thousands of employees in digital innovation, making the transformation truly a “human odyssey” and not just a tech upgradeairliquide.comairliquide.com.
- Transformation Roadmap & Goals: Air Liquide’s strategic plan ADVANCE 2025 explicitly calls for leveraging digital and data to drive growth and efficiencyairliquide.comairliquide.com. In fact, digital transformation has been a core pillar of Air Liquide’s strategy since the mid-2010s. Key milestones were achieved on ~2-year horizons: for example, the first SIO control center launched in 2017 (Connect in France), and by 2019 SIO centers were rolled out in Europe, the U.S., Asia and Middle Eastairliquide.com. Similarly, pilots for IBO began in 2017 and by 2020 it was deployed worldwidebusinesswire.com. This accelerated timeline reflects top management support and clear ROI (e.g. Matthieu Giard, Industrial Merchant VP, called the global IBO rollout “a new and significant step” in Air Liquide’s customer-centric transformation)businesswire.combusinesswire.com. The company’s publicly stated goal is to lead its industry in digital performance and customer experience, using AI to enable smarter, more sustainable operations and new servicesbusinesswire.com. With dozens of digital solutions in production and more in the pipeline, Air Liquide is well on its way to becoming a data-enabled “AI ecosystem” rather than just a gas supplier.
Linde (Including Praxair): Leveraging AI and Digitalization at Scale
Case Summary: Linde plc (formed from Linde AG and Praxair) is integrating AI across its global operations, from plant maintenance to supply chain, while cultivating an internal AI community and external partnerships. Linde established a digital innovation hub early on and views data as a strategic asset to drive both efficiency and new business models.
- AI Integration in Operations & Maintenance: Linde has applied machine learning to decades of operating data to improve reliability. For instance, Linde’s engineers use AI algorithms on historical sensor data from plant equipment to predict failures before they cause downtimeahandersonconsulting.com. This predictive maintenance initiative has enabled early detection of issues in compressors and other critical machinery, avoiding costly unplanned outages. According to Linde’s Global Director of AI, Dr. Dexin Luo, the company continuously adopts AI to “make better and faster decisions, improve processes and productivity, make our operations safer and more sustainable, and enhance customer experience”ahandersonconsulting.com. A practical example is Linde’s use of AI for distribution scheduling: intelligent algorithms optimize truck routing and delivery timing for industrial gas shipments, reducing logistics costs while ensuring customers don’t run outahandersonconsulting.com. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Linde accelerated deployment of remote assistance tools: it rolled out an augmented reality (AR) platform enabling experts to guide field technicians through maintenance via smart glasses or mobile devicesmanufacturingleadershipcouncil.commanufacturingleadershipcouncil.com. In just weeks, this AR solution scaled globally, ensuring reliable operations despite travel restrictions – a testament to Linde’s digital agility and focus on operational continuity.
- Digital Twins, IoT, and Analytics: Linde has long leveraged digital twin models of its plants and is expanding this to the supply chain. The company’s Center of Excellence built a digital supply chain twin using the Arkieva software suite, creating a virtual model of Linde’s end-to-end bulk gas networkblog.arkieva.com. This twin incorporates multiple production plants, distribution depots, and customer demand data, allowing Linde to run simulations and optimize its network holistically. By comparing real performance with the digital model, Linde identified new efficiencies – for example, adjusting production mix across sites and repositioning delivery trailers proactivelyblog.arkieva.comblog.arkieva.com. The digital twin sharpened cross-team collaboration (energy procurement, production, logistics) and improved responsiveness to changesblog.arkieva.comblog.arkieva.com. On the plant floor, Linde Engineering offers advanced process control solutions that act as digital twins for real-time optimization. One such offering is Linde Advanced Operations Services (LAOS), which provides clients 24/7 remote support and optimization based on digital models of their facilitiesengineering.linde.comengineering.linde.com. These digitalization efforts are backed by extensive IoT instrumentation – Linde collects data from its equipment and customer installations worldwide. Like its peers, Linde equips bulk customer tanks with sensors and telemeters; the data streams into forecasting systems that automatically schedule deliveries and plant load adjustments. This Industry 4.0 approach was recognized in 2018 when Linde’s Digital Base Camp (its digitalization hub) was awarded “Best Innovation Lab” in Germany – the judges noted Linde’s success in leveraging data to improve internal processes and develop new servicesgasworld.com.
- AI-Enabled Customer Platforms & Forecasting: Linde is rolling out AI-driven offerings in healthcare and other segments. One notable product is AIRGENIOUS™, an AI-powered platform for Linde’s medical homecare business in Europe. AIRGENIOUS uses machine-learning algorithms to analyze data from patients’ sleep apnea devices and personalize their care programslinde-gas.comlinde-gas.com. It predicts which patients are likely to struggle with treatment and helps care teams intervene proactively, improving compliance and outcomes. After initial pilots showed promising results, Linde’s healthcare unit is scaling AIRGENIOUS as a blueprint for “transformative, embedded AI” in its serviceslinde-gas.comlinde-gas.com. In the industrial domain, Linde has customer portals for ordering and inventory management (akin to other gas companies), and it is integrating AI to enhance these platforms. For instance, AI models at Linde forecast customer demand more accurately by learning usage patterns, which feeds into automated delivery scheduling. Additionally, Linde has experimented with AI-driven chatbots and support tools to improve customer service response times. While specific platform names are not always public, Linde’s leadership has emphasized using AI to enhance every customer touchpoint – from smarter recommendations for gas supply modes to predictive alerts for preventative cylinder replacement. In summary, Linde is not only using AI internally but also embedding it in the products and digital services it offers to customers, thereby moving toward an ecosystem approach (especially in healthcare, welding, and manufacturing support services).
- Internal Innovation Hub (Digital Base Camp) and AI Labs: To steer its transformation, Linde created the Digital Base Camp in August 2016gasworld.comgasworld.com. This dedicated digital innovation hub brings together veteran employees from traditional business lines and new hires from the digital tech world (data scientists, software developers, UX experts)gasworld.com. The team also includes specialists from startups and academia (e.g. via collaboration with the Technical University of Munich)gasworld.com. The Digital Base Camp’s mission is to harness Linde’s vast data troves to improve operations and create new digital offerings. It incubated numerous projects – for example, it helped develop Linde’s remote operations capabilities and supply chain optimization tools. By bundling all digitalization efforts under one roof, Linde ensured company-wide alignment and faster deployment of successful pilots. Recognition as the top industrial innovation lab in 2018 validated this approachgasworld.comgasworld.com. In addition, Linde established a global AI team headed by Dr. Dexin Luo, and an internal network called “digital Exchange (dX)” where employees share AI knowledge and best practicesahandersonconsulting.com. Through live sessions and webinars, the dX program “demystifies” AI for staff and showcases project successes, fostering a culture of continuous learning. Linde also collaborates with external AI labs – for instance, Linde Engineering partnered with TCG Digital in 2023 to co-develop self-learning AI optimization solutions for process plantslinkedin.com.
- Strategic Partnerships with Tech Firms & Startups: Linde actively partners with technology providers and participates in startup accelerators to accelerate its digital agenda. It joined Startup Autobahn (Plug and Play), an innovation platform, forging alliances with startups working on industrial IoT, analytics, and automationgasworld.com. This has led to pilot projects in areas like asset tracking and AI-driven plant maintenance. Linde Engineering’s collaboration with TCG Digital (the tech arm of Tata) is bringing AI-based automation to process industrieslinkedin.com. The company also works closely with major software firms: Linde uses Arkieva for supply chain modelingblog.arkieva.com, AspenTech solutions for process optimization (some Linde plants use Aspen’s AI tools similarly to Air Products), and cloud providers (e.g. Microsoft Azure) for scalable IoT data infrastructure. In the healthcare space, Linde’s AIRGENIOUS project is effectively a partnership between its internal team and external AI experts (possibly including academia) to apply AI in a regulated medical contextlinde-gas.com. These collaborations allow Linde to tap into external innovation while applying its deep domain knowledge. Notably, Linde has even expanded its offerings through digital partnerships – for example, it provides Linde Virtual Academy, a VR training platform for plant operators, which is enhanced by AI and was developed with external VR specialistsvr.linde.comvr.linde.com.
- Talent Development and Culture: Linde recognizes that achieving digital transformation requires significant cultural change and skill development. The company launched a global AI upskilling program (in partnership with data science consultancies) to train hundreds of employees on AI use cases and tools. In one program with DAIN Studios, Linde empowered 500+ staff with AI skills and fostered the creation of new use cases across the business (e.g. improving cylinder inventory forecasts and automating code with AI)ahandersonconsulting.comahandersonconsulting.com. Furthermore, through its internal dX exchange and initiatives like hackathons, Linde encourages employees from all functions to propose and experiment with digital improvements. This bottom-up engagement is complemented by top-down support: the Group CIO, Sandeep Sen, emphasizes simplicity and business alignment in tech projectsbankinfosecurity.com. Linde also adapts its organizational structure – for instance, Praxair (now part of Linde) had created a Digital Operations Center in its Tonawanda facility to centralize plant monitoring, and Linde plc continues to refine such models to scale expertise. By rewarding innovation and providing training, Linde is steadily nurturing a workforce that is comfortable with AI and data-driven decision making. The cultural shift is evident in quotes like one from a Linde manager: “We can no longer operate our business the way we used to…digital tools are ensuring near-seamless continuity and unlocking new ways of working”manufacturingleadershipcouncil.commanufacturingleadershipcouncil.com.
- Roadmap and Goals: Digital transformation is integral to Linde’s corporate strategy and is seen as a “game-changer” for its industrygasworld.com. Over the last few years, Linde set clear targets such as achieving fully autonomous operations in certain areas and offering new digital services to customers. While it may not publicize a strict two-year roadmap, Linde’s actions show rapid progress: many digital initiatives that started as trials around 2017–2018 (when the Linde–Praxair merger occurred) have become operational by 2020. For example, predictive maintenance AI was implemented at scale across global plants in roughly 2–3 years, and the Arkieva supply chain twin was presented in 2019 after about a year of developmentblog.arkieva.comblog.arkieva.com. Executives have noted that leveraging data intelligently “is at the heart of everything we do” at the Digital Base Campgasworld.com, underlining a sustained commitment. Moving forward, Linde aims to embed AI “deeply and invisibly” in its processes (per Dexin Luo, seeing AIRGENIOUS as just the beginning)linde-gas.com. In summary, Linde’s transformation journey is characterized by early investment in digital foundations (starting mid-2010s) and accelerated deployment, with the goal of maintaining its position as the world’s largest industrial gas company through superior technology and AI-driven services.
Air Products & Chemicals: Rapid Digitalization and AI-Enhanced Services
Case Summary: Air Products (AP) is transforming its operations with industrial IoT, advanced analytics, and AI software to both optimize its own plants and offer new services to customers. In a two-year span, AP has overhauled its IT architecture, adopted cutting-edge AI platforms, and leveraged partnerships (e.g. with AspenTech and Siemens) to become a more agile, data-driven enterprise.
- AI in Operations & Predictive Maintenance: In 2020, Air Products announced a major initiative to implement Aspen Technology’s AspenONE suite (which includes AI and machine-learning capabilities) across its operationsahandersonconsulting.com. By using AspenONE’s advanced process control and predictive analytics, AP can optimize plant performance in real time – adjusting parameters to increase throughput or reduce energy consumption – and anticipate upsets before they occurahandersonconsulting.com. This move was aimed at standardizing best-in-class optimization in AP’s production facilities globally. Additionally, AP’s in-house engineers developed AI-driven inferential models that serve as virtual sensors to detect anomalies. For example, AP’s proprietary platform called ProcessMD uses “asset health” models to continuously monitor plant processes and diagnose issues earlyautomationworld.comautomationworld.com. Deployed in over 700 of AP’s own production plants, ProcessMD’s predictive analytics can catch signs of equipment degradation weeks or months in advance of a failure, enabling condition-based maintenance instead of reactive fixesautomationworld.comautomationworld.com. This capability, essentially AI for predictive maintenance, has significantly improved AP’s reliability metrics. The company also integrated these tools into its global Remote Operations Centers, where expert teams oversee hundreds of facilities. Overall, by 2021 AP was leveraging AI to fine-tune everything from industrial gas production processes to reliability planning, aligning with CEO Seifi Ghasemi’s vision of operational excellence in their core business.
- Digital Twins, IoT Sensors & Real-Time Analytics: Air Products has been at the forefront of using IoT and digital twins to transform its supply and production network. The ProcessMD platform mentioned above acts as a digital twin for plant operations – it models expected performance and compares it with live data from IoT sensors to flag deviationsautomationworld.com. AP has digitized vast swathes of its equipment: sensors on storage tanks, pipelines, compressors, and customer stations feed data into cloud analytics platforms. A notable initiative is AP’s adoption of Siemens MindSphere (an industrial IoT cloud) to connect customer-site equipment back to AP’s analytics systems. In 2019, AP’s field service group rolled out a solution to install MindConnect devices at customer plants, funneling their telemetry into AP’s cloud where ProcessMD analytics can be appliedautomationworld.comautomationworld.com. By doing so, AP extended its digital twin beyond its own fence line – now including customer-owned processes that use AP gases. This connected ecosystem allows AP to remotely monitor customer operations (with permission) and provide value-added insights, such as optimizing a customer’s gas usage or alerting them to maintenance needs. AP also utilizes digital twins in supply chain management: telemetry from customer tanks is used to forecast demand and automatically schedule deliveries (much like other gas companies). An example is AP’s Freshline® Smart Technology for food-freezing customers, which remotely monitors cryogenic freezers to ensure optimal performanceprnewswire.com. All these efforts underscore AP’s use of IoT data and real-time analytics to not only run its plants more efficiently but also to integrate more closely with customers’ processes.
- AI-Driven Customer Platforms & Forecasting Services: Air Products has turned its internal digital capabilities into customer-facing services, moving towards an “as-a-service” model with AI at the core. After perfecting ProcessMD internally, AP began offering it to customers as a cloud-based service to reduce their downtime and energy costsautomationworld.comautomationworld.com. In practice, this means AP can install IoT sensors on a customer’s industrial gas equipment (e.g. on-site generators or storage tanks) and feed that data into AP’s analytics platform. AP’s experts then provide the customer with predictive maintenance alerts and optimization suggestions drawn from AI analysis. This offering was made possible through the AP-Siemens partnership – using MindSphere to securely interface between customer data and AP’s ProcessMD analyticsautomationworld.comautomationworld.com. The value proposition is significant: customers can save $50k to $600k annually through avoided downtime and improved efficiency thanks to AP’s AI-driven recommendationsautomationworld.com. Another customer-centric AI application is in demand forecasting: AP’s bulk gas business relies on accurately predicting when each customer will need a refill. By analyzing consumption trends and external factors (production schedules, even weather for some uses), AP’s AI models have improved forecast accuracy, enabling just-in-time deliveries that lower costs for both AP and its clients. On the sales side, AP has integrated AI into its CRM to identify opportunities – e.g. using predictive analytics (via Salesforce Einstein AI) to score leads and anticipate customer needsahandersonconsulting.com. In summary, Air Products is leveraging AI not just internally but as a differentiator in its customer offerings, positioning itself as a partner that provides intelligent solutions and not just commodities.
- Internal Innovation Centers and IT Overhaul: Air Products’ digital transformation has been supported by significant internal reorganization. The company formed a Modeling and Data Science Center (part of its central engineering group) which developed tools like ProcessMDautomation.com. This center of excellence collaborates with AP’s R&D and operations teams to deploy AI/ML solutions. On the IT side, AP brought in a new CIO in late 2019 (Brian Galovich) who led an overhaul of IT infrastructure to support digital initiativescio.comcio.com. He migrated AP’s systems to the cloud, implemented a self-service data architecture, and digitized key business processes to break down siloscio.com. As part of this, AP is moving towards a unified data lake that can be tapped for advanced analytics by business users. The IT operating model was updated to be more agile, enabling faster roll-out of digital projects. For example, within weeks AP scaled up remote VPN and collaboration tools during COVID-19 so engineers could run and monitor plants virtually. AP also created an Analytics and Automation program to train employees in using new digital tools, signaling a commitment to upskilling its workforce. These internal shifts have laid the groundwork for AP’s rapid deployment of AI solutions company-wide.
- Partnerships with Tech Firms and Startups: Rather than build everything from scratch, Air Products has smartly partnered with leading technology firms. The collaboration with AspenTech gave AP access to proven AI-driven optimization software (AspenOne) for its process plantsahandersonconsulting.com. Working with Siemens brought in the MindSphere IoT platform, saving AP time in developing a secure connectivity solution for customer dataautomationworld.comautomationworld.com. AP has also engaged with smaller tech companies for niche solutions – for instance, it might use computer vision startups for automating safety monitoring at sites, or partner with AI firms specializing in logistics optimization to refine its distribution scheduling. While AP’s specific startup partnerships aren’t all public, the company is an active member of industry consortia on digital manufacturing and regularly collaborates with universities on AI research (especially in hydrogen production and carbon capture optimization, areas critical to AP’s new “mega projects”). These partnerships accelerate AP’s timeline in becoming an AI-driven enterprise by infusing external innovation into its projects.
- Workforce and Culture Change: Air Products has coupled its tech transformation with a cultural one. The company emphasizes “One Air Products” teamwork, which helped in integrating digital tools – for example, operators, engineers, and data scientists now routinely work together on analytics initiatives. AP also promotes a mindset of proactive problem-solving aided by data. Frontline staff are encouraged to rely on the AI insights (like those from predictive dashboards) and to transition from reactive maintenance to proactive asset management. The success stories (like early saves from the predictive models) are celebrated to build trust in AI tools. Additionally, AP’s leadership in 2021 highlighted the need for reskilling: traditional roles (plant operators, drivers, etc.) are receiving training to use new digital interfaces and interpret data visualizations. The company’s IT and engineering groups organized training on Aspen and analytics software for hundreds of employees, and AP’s HR introduced new career paths (e.g. data analyst roles in operations). The fact that AP’s motto is “Our people and innovation drive our success” is reflected in how they approached digital transformation – making it as much about empowering people with new capabilities as about cutting-edge tech. This human-centric approach has smoothed the adoption of AI initiatives and ensured that digital transformation delivers value on the ground (e.g., operators preventing a failure thanks to an alert, or logistics planners trusting the route optimization suggestions).
- Strategic Vision and Timeline: Air Products’ CEO has framed the company’s strategy around building, owning, and operating large-scale projects (like hydrogen megaprojects) while achieving top-tier operational performancecio.com. Digital and AI are seen as key enablers to handle the scale and complexity of these projects. Although AP may not have a public “AI in two years” roadmap, it set aggressive internal targets – for example, by 2020–2021, to have all major plants under advanced analytics monitoring, and to offer digital productivity solutions to all bulk customers. Indeed, by late 2019 AP had already connected many customer installations to its cloudautomationworld.com, and by 2021 it was reaping benefits of faster decision-making from its new IT architecturecio.com. The quick deployment of AspenONE in 2020 and the MindSphere-based services in 2019 show AP’s sense of urgency. In interviews, AP executives mention delivering “full digitally enabled mega-project execution” as a goal – meaning from design (with AI aiding engineering) to operation (with AI optimizing runtime). The company’s two-year transformation burst (2019–2021) essentially laid the digital foundation, and now AP is continuously enhancing it. Going forward, AP aims to remain an industry leader not just in volume but in digital service quality, using AI to differentiate its offerings in an increasingly competitive and sustainability-focused market.
Air Products uses IoT and AI to closely monitor its industrial gas facilities and customer supply systems. The image illustrates connected AP storage tanks with data analytics (green signal) overlay. Through its ProcessMD analytics platform and IoT connectivity (via Siemens MindSphere), AP can detect issues “weeks or months” before alarms would normally go off
, enabling proactive maintenance and supply reliability for customers.
Messer Group (and Other Key Players): Accelerating Digital and AI Initiatives
Case Summary: Messer, the world’s largest family-run industrial gas company, illustrates how “other” major players are also embracing AI and digital transformation. Messer has modernized its data infrastructure and adopted Industry 4.0 practices to remain competitive post its acquisition of Linde assets. Similar mid-size players (like Nippon Gases/Taiyo Nippon Sanso and Air Water) are likewise investing in smart technologies.
- AI, IoT, and Automation in Operations: Messer has made “accelerating digital transformation” a core element of its latest strategymesser.es. In practice, this means equipping its supply chain with IoT and using data to automate decisions. Messer installs level sensors on customer tanks that transmit inventory data daily via the mobile networkgases-magazine.messergroup.comgases-magazine.messergroup.com. These data feed directly into an intelligent routing system: when a tank’s level falls below a threshold, Messer’s ERP automatically schedules a delivery on the optimal routegases-magazine.messergroup.comgases-magazine.messergroup.com. Dispatchers then confirm and fine-tune these AI-suggested routes, but much of the planning is now algorithm-driven. Messer notes that the system provides flexibility for exceptions (e.g. sudden spikes in a customer’s usage) but “is most efficient when the automated system supplies as many customers as possible.”gases-magazine.messergroup.comgases-magazine.messergroup.com This semi-autonomous logistics operation mirrors the approaches of the larger competitors. Messer is also experimenting with AI in back-office processes – one example is using AI to automatically parse and evaluate accounting-related emailsgases-magazine.messergroup.com, which could streamline administrative workflows. Additionally, Messer leverages digital tools for production optimization: its plants connected to customer pipelines can adjust output on a minute-by-minute basis following actual consumption, essentially acting as a live digital twin of customer demandgases-magazine.messergroup.com.
- Digital Customer Experience and Platforms: Messer provides its customers with digital interfaces to improve service. It offers an online portal (e-shop) where customers can place orders, track deliveries, and view their inventory and consumption data in real-timegases-magazine.messergroup.com. This portal is integrated with Messer’s supply chain systems so that any order or change is reflected immediately in production and delivery plans. By unifying such data, Messer gives customers transparency and uses AI to assist them – for instance, the system can notify a customer when their usage rate implies they should order more, or even trigger an automatic refill if the customer opts in. Messer’s commitment to digital innovation extends to internal data usage: during the COVID-19 oxygen crisis, Messer’s digital agility helped it respond to surges in demand and coordinate with hospitals effectivelynews.sap.comnews.sap.com. While Messer may not have a branded AI product like AIRGENIOUS or Qlixbi, it is steadily adding intelligence to its services. For example, in Europe, Messer’s subsidiaries have introduced telemetry-enabled cylinders and leveraging analytics to improve cylinder fleet management (tracking cylinder locations, fill levels, and inspection dates via barcodes and eventually RFID)gases-magazine.messergroup.com. These efforts ensure that even without the scale of an Air Liquide or Linde, Messer can offer a modern, data-rich experience to customers.
- Innovation and Partnerships: As part of its digital transformation, Messer overhauled its data architecture with the help of SAP. In 2024, Messer implemented the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) to unify 12 disparate data sources into one cloud-based analytics foundationnews.sap.comnews.sap.com. This provided a “single source of truth” for the company and enabled advanced analytics and AI on previously siloed data. Messer’s CIO David Johnston said the goal was to give an “elevated purpose” to data for real-time intelligencenews.sap.comnews.sap.com. With SAP’s analytics cloud, Messer employees at all levels can access self-service dashboards and AI-driven insights, improving agile decision-makingnews.sap.comciobulletin.com. Messer also worked with Capgemini on process innovation for finance (applying RPA and AI to processes like order-to-cash)capgemini.com. These partnerships illustrate that Messer is leveraging external expertise to adopt cutting-edge tech quickly. Moreover, Messer collaborates within industry groups on digital standards (for instance, contributing to e-commerce standards for gas orders). Other regional players have similar approaches: Nippon Gases (formerly part of Praxair, now TNSC’s European arm) emphasizes digital connectivity and launched its own telemonitoring system for bulk gases; Air Water in Japan is investing in AI for production optimization and even autonomous delivery robots for gas cylinders.
- Talent and Cultural Shift: For a mid-size firm like Messer, cultural change is crucial to make the most of new technology. Messer actively works on empowering its employees with data. By implementing modern analytics tools (via SAP), Messer enables business users to create reports and extract insights without always requiring IT supportsap.com. This democratization of data is creating a more data-driven culture. Messer has also invested in training, particularly after acquiring large parts of Linde’s business in Western Europe – merging those operations required standardizing on new systems and training staff in digital tools. The company’s communication highlights “upskilling our people for the digital age” as a priority. For example, Messer’s magazine for employees discusses AI pilots and encourages staff to contribute ideas for digital improvements. Management champions quick wins (like the AI for email processing pilot) to build momentum internally. Given Messer’s long history (120+ years) and recent rapid growth, fostering an innovative mindset is part of its identity refresh. The company also prides itself on agility, which was demonstrated when it quickly adapted its supply chain during the pandemic thanks to digital readinessnews.sap.comnews.sap.com. That success has likely further convinced employees of the value of digital tools, easing adoption.
- Roadmap and Ambition: Messer’s public statements indicate it views digital transformation as a continuous journey rather than a one-time project. The company’s strategy update includes a vision of becoming a data-driven enterprise to support its “Gases for Life” missionmesser.es. While specific timeline goals are not detailed, Messer’s actions in the last two years – implementing a new data platform, rolling out IoT-driven logistics, piloting AI in various functions – show an accelerated push. Executives have noted that modernizing IT was critical to scale up (especially after acquiring additional operations), and that digital initiatives will unlock efficiencies and growth opportunities that are otherwise hard to attain in a relatively mature industry. Messer’s example underscores that even companies outside the top 3 are leveraging AI/IoT to transform themselves. In the next two years, Messer aims to further automate routine processes, enhance customer self-service options with AI (possibly chatbots or voice ordering), and use predictive analytics to optimize its production and inventory on a regional scale. In essence, Messer is ensuring that it can compete with the larger players by being nimble and innovative – creating its own AI-enabled ecosystem tailored to its size and markets.
Comparison of Strategic AI/Digital Initiatives by Company
| Initiative | Air Liquide | Linde (incl. Praxair) | Air Products | Messer (Others) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI in Operations & Maintenance | Smart Innovative Operations centers for remote control and predictive maintenance (e.g. Connect project remotely pilots 22 plants)kr.airliquide.comkr.airliquide.com. AI algorithms predict equipment failures and optimize energy usagekr.airliquide.comkr.airliquide.com. | ML models for predictive maintenance on plant assets (using decades of sensor data to predict malfunctions)ahandersonconsulting.com. AR-based remote support for field maintenance deployed globally in weeks (COVID response)manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com. | AspenTech AspenONE AI software implemented to optimize plant processes and yieldahandersonconsulting.com. In-house ProcessMD analytics (“asset doctor”) monitors 700+ facilities to detect faults weeks earlyautomationworld.comautomationworld.com. | IoT sensors and automation in supply chain: tank telemetry auto-triggers deliveriesgases-magazine.messergroup.comgases-magazine.messergroup.com. Piloting AI for internal processes (e.g. automated email invoice parsing) to improve efficiencygases-magazine.messergroup.com. |
| Digital Twins & IoT Analytics | Integrated Bulk Operations (IBO) program links plants, trucks, and customer tanks in one digital systembusinesswire.com. Uses IoT data (3.5B points/day) and digital twins to forecast demand and optimize routingairliquide.combusinesswire.com. Remote ops centers adjust production in real time via digital twin modelskr.airliquide.comkr.airliquide.com. | Supply chain digital twin built with Arkieva to model and optimize the end-to-end networkblog.arkieva.com. Long-standing use of digital plant twins to benchmark performanceblog.arkieva.com. Extensive telemetry on assets; automated cylinder tracking and refilling similar to peers. | ProcessMD acts as a digital twin of processes, comparing live vs. ideal performanceautomationworld.com. Siemens MindSphere IoT platform connects customer-site equipment to AP’s cloudautomationworld.comautomationworld.com, enabling remote monitoring and twin-based predictive analytics on customer systems. | Industry 4.0 supply chain: sensor-equipped tanks send daily data to ERPgases-magazine.messergroup.com, which, combined with route optimization software (digital twin of distribution), automates most of delivery planninggases-magazine.messergroup.com. Digital integration from order to invoice (barcode scans update SAP in real time)gases-magazine.messergroup.com. |
| AI-Driven Customer Solutions | Qlixbi – smart welding gas cylinder + digital app for usage tracking and auto-reorderingairliquide.com. AI in healthcare: algorithms predict CPAP therapy non-adherence for 20k+ patients, enabling proactive supportairliquide.comairliquide.com. Customer portal enhancements with AI recommendations. | AIRGENIOUS™ – AI platform personalizing sleep apnea patient care (improves compliance via predictive interventions)linde-gas.comlinde-gas.com. AI-powered optimization services for customers’ processes (e.g. Linde Engineering’s LAOS provides remote optimization using AI modelsengineering.linde.com). | Remote monitoring service – offering its internal analytics to customers via MindSphere, saving them $50k–$600k/yr in downtime/energyautomationworld.com. Smart delivery forecasting: AI predicts customer demand for just-in-time supply. Freshline Smart Technology monitors food freezing equipment for clientsprnewswire.com. | Customer web portal with real-time stock levels, usage history, and online orderinggases-magazine.messergroup.com. Automated delivery notes & invoices via digital integrationgases-magazine.messergroup.com. Some AI use in customer service (experiments with chatbots or automated email responses underway). |
| Innovation Hubs / Labs | i-Lab (innovation lab) fosters new ideas and startup collaborationkr.airliquide.com. Digital Fabs (since 2016) – internal cross-functional incubators with data scientists + business experts co-developing digital solutionsairliquide.com. | Digital Base Camp (est. 2016) – dedicated digitalization hub mixing domain experts with data/IT specialistsgasworld.com. Drives enterprise-wide AI projects and pilots with startups. Global AI team led by Chief AI Officer (Dexin Luo) and internal “dX” knowledge networkahandersonconsulting.com. | Modeling & Data Science Center – internal team that built tools like ProcessMD and supports AI deploymentautomation.com. Revamped IT organization under new CIO to emphasize innovation, cloud, and self-service analyticscio.comcio.com. | No singular “lab”, but a strong partnership with SAP’s innovation team to create a modern data platformnews.sap.com. Messer’s culture of innovation is supported by its size – cross-functional teams quickly implement new digital tools (e.g. hackathons to use SAP BTP features). |
| Tech Partnerships & Startups | Collaborates with startups via open innovation – e.g. Hirebotics on welding cobot (BotX)airliquide.com. Partners with big tech (Microsoft Azure for cloud AI; IoT connectivity solutions) and academia. Piloted projects through Techstars and other accelerators. | Alliances with Startup Autobahn (Plug and Play) yielding multiple pilotsgasworld.com. Partnered with TCG Digital to co-develop AI optimization for process industrieslinkedin.com. Uses Arkieva, SAP, Microsoft and others for digital foundation, plus university collaborations (TUM etc.). | Teamed with AspenTech (AspenONE suite) for advanced AI process controlahandersonconsulting.com. Siemens partnership to leverage MindSphere IoT for cloud servicesautomationworld.com. Also engages leading IT firms (Microsoft for cloud migration, perhaps) and niche analytics startups for specific solutions. | Chose SAP BTP for data transformation (co-developed solution with SAP)news.sap.com. Capgemini partnership to implement new digital processes in financecapgemini.com. Likely working with IoT vendors for telemetry hardware. Messer also benefits from suppliers’ tech (e.g. telemetry devices provided by vendors). |
| Talent & Culture Initiatives | Emphasis on people-first digital change – heavy investment in training and change managementairliquide.com. Operators involved in design of digital tools, fostering ownershipairliquide.com. Created new roles (data analysts, “real-time pilots”) and promoted a startup-like culture via Digital Fabs. | Global AI upskilling programs (trained 500+ employees in data science) and ongoing internal seminars demystifying AIahandersonconsulting.comahandersonconsulting.com. Culture of innovation encouraged by leadership (Board-level Digital officer). Celebrates digital success stories to drive adoption. | IT and business alignment – reorganized teams to be product-focused and agile. Investing in employee training on new systems (cloud, analytics). Instilling data-driven decision-making at all levels. CIO made self-service data a priority so employees can innovate directlycio.com. | Empowering employees with data: unified data access allows staff to get insights faster, making decision-making more agilenews.sap.comnews.sap.com. Change management around new SAP tools to ensure workforce adopts a data-driven mindset. Family company culture leveraged to quickly embrace necessary changes for future sustainability. |
| Roadmap & Transformation Goals | ADVANCE 2025 plan highlights digital as key to growthairliquide.com. Achieved global rollout of major programs (SIO, IBO) within ~2-3 years eachairliquide.combusinesswire.com. Aims for profitable and sustainable growth via digital tech and data valorizationbusinesswire.com. Targeting carbon efficiency and customer experience improvements through AI by 2025. | Digitalization identified as “game-changer” – Linde wants to lead in AI adoption in industrygasworld.com. Set up infrastructure early (2016) and merged Praxair’s digital strengths. On track to embed AI “invisibly” into workflows (per Luo) and to develop fully autonomous operations in some areas in coming years. | Transformation to support “mega projects” – AP aligned IT and digital strategy to handle new scale (clean hydrogen, etc.)cio.com. In 2019–2021 executed rapid IT/digital upgrades; now focusing on leveraging them for competitive advantage. Goal: top-tier reliability and efficiency, enabling expansion into new energy markets with digital as differentiator. | Strategy Update 2021+ puts digital front and centermesser.es. Messer’s goal is a data-driven enterprise that can respond in real time to market needs. After modernizing IT by 2024, next steps include more AI automation and digital services to customers, to solidify Messer’s position against larger competitors. |
Sources: The information above is compiled from official press releases, company publications, and industry analyses. Key references include Air Liquide’s innovation stories
airliquide.com, Linde’s press via gasworld and Manufacturing Leadership Council
manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com, insights from an AspenTech consulting blog
ahandersonconsulting.com, and an Automation World case study on Air Products
automationworld.com, among others, as cited throughout. These examples underscore a common theme: industrial gas firms are leveraging AI, IoT, and digital innovation not only to streamline operations but to fundamentally redefine their business models for the future. Each is at a different scale and pace, but all share the ambition of evolving into an AI-enabled ecosystem that delivers smarter, more integrated solutions to industry and healthcare in the coming two years and beyond.